Sollicitus
by Kitteness00
Summary: Five years after Cocoon's crystallization, Lightning is doing well for herself, never thinking of wanting more. When the thought does occur to her, it leaves her feeling inexplicably restless and in need of something she can't put her finger on.
1. An Itch

_A/N: This is a little..indulgement of mine. An experiment, you could say. Something to express my own restlessness with. I call it restlessness because I'll feel I need something, but don't know what it is, which makes me unable to really work on anything. It makes me feel anxious, like I need to pace. It's been affecting me lately and I thought perhaps inflicting it upon Lightning in a long, drawn-out FLight story would help that along :P Does that sound too boring? Let me know what you think. Beginning chapters are almost always boring, though. Also, everything I write is too short. I don't like that fact. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII or anything to do with it. _

An Itch

The figure moved into place swiftly, footsteps silent in the grass. Moving to a boulder here, a shrub there - rolling to a pitch and stop near the edge of a cliff. It stretches itself across the ground, like a beast on the prowl, waiting. Shadows sway and dance in the barest whisper of wind, moonlight from above draping everything in it's glow. An indeterminable amount of time passes as the figure remains still as stone, covered head to toe in shifting grays and blacks. Mottled. Contorted. A unique form of camouflage.

Something moves below. Darting quickly, it is gone and still as abruptly as it moves. Azure eyes track the movements with ease, patiently awaiting the time to strike. The figure draws it's weapon and straightens to a crouch - the shadow below, sensing a change, pauses. It sniffs the air, searching for the source. Hunting. It is unprepared for the attack to the come. The figure dives off the edge, the only hint given in the change of the air currents. With nary a sound, the figure is upon the shadow, grappling, wrestling - struggling. They roll and flounder about, one trying to get the other off. Rustling and scraping sounds in the still night, followed by the impact of something heavy on stone, a crack on bone, metal sliding into flesh -

An enraged roar tears the air as the shadow is felled. Glowing red eyes stare hatefully into unremorseful blue, a fearsome growl issued from it's dying breath. And then it falls to the side and the light gone from the eyes. The figure kneels to wipe the blood free from it's blade and steps away, job finished. Crackling brings it's attention to a pouch. Weapon sheathed, the figure removes a phone and brushes the hood from it's face. Pink hair spills forth, gracing a pale face in sweeping, long bangs. The phone is brought to a delicate ear, a button pressed to receive the message.

_"Command to Alpha One-Six, do you copy?"_

A clearcut, huskily feminine voice responds briskly. "Loud and clear, base. Target has been eliminated - send a clean up crew immediately."

_"Right away, ma'am."_

The woman shuts the device and replaces it in it's place. She disappears into a nearby crag just along enough to await the promised clean up crew. Within just a few minutes, a ship and multiple men swim into the area. Bright, painful light bathes the area as flood lights are brought in to illuminate the scene. A great portion of the incoming pause to stare at the corpse lying in a pool of its own blood; some disgrace the grass with their upheaval. The woman does not blame them. The beast is fully exposed in all it's glorifying terror under the light, and few have ever seen such a thing.

It is easily the size of a behemoth and just as deadly, if not more. One of the rarer species of Gran Pulse, it is believed to be wary of human life. Little is known about them - none have ever been caputred for study, and only a sparse few have ever been found dead. But those were mostly bones and rotted mess. This..this, was a fresh kill. A first. The only known things about the beasts is as follows: they are extremely dangerous, human shy, and carniverous. Their bodies are tightly muscled with long, thick legs for running and pouncing. The paws are padded for stealth, and the claws razor sharp for easy shredding. They have many rows of sharp teeth for ripping and tearing into hide and bone. Fur stands out in bristly bunches with bands of glowing colour wrapping around the body in strange formations. Their faces have long muzzles and large, cat-shaped eyes. Some say they resemble the great feline beasts of legend; others, the werewolves of fables. Staring at it now, the woman would say it is a mix of things: feline, werewolf, and maybe even dragon.

The cleanup crew finally comes to it's senses and begins to prepare the body for transfer. The woman watches for a moment before lifting her hood back up and begins to scale the cliff wall. Mission completed, Lightning melts into the night without a word.

* * *

"Colonel Farron, welcome back from your mission. I understand it was a success?"

Lightning nodded, saluting her commanding officer. "Affirmative, Major General. The calida was slain without much difficulty and the cleanup crew successfully retrieved the corpse for study."

Amodar chuckled and slapped her on the back appreciately. "Well done, Farron! That little beast has been causing such chaos and havoc for the past few months, I was sure we'd never be rid of it. We should have sent you in right away - Fang did try to warn us that conventional hunting wouldn't work." He thoughtfully pulled on his moustache. "But enough small talk - it's late! Go home and get some rest, Colonel. Enjoy the weekend and I'll see you on bright and early next week!" Lightning dipped her head in acknowledgement before saluting and exiting his office. Soldiers in the halls saluted her as she passed, a shadow of fear in their eyes at her attire. Since returning from the assignment, she had not been able to change from the uniform worn only by the elite members of the Special Forces. Because of this, the salutes of fear only served to irritate her.

As she exited the command building, her personal phone went off. She sighed as she retrieved it and answered, continuing her brisk walk towards the vehicle storage area. "Farron."

_"Oi, Light - where the hell are ya? The party's startin' and you're missin' the fun!"_ The accented voice on the end caused Lightning's eyebrow to twitch.

"I'm just leaving work, Fang. I had a situation to take care of that was absolutely mandatory. Besides, I never actually agreed I'd attend your party; and no, before you put Vanille, Serah, or even Snow on, I will not stay that long."

_"Pffft, you're such a spoilsport. It's the weekend! Ya ain't got work til Monday and there's no harm in relaxin' a little."_

Lightning nodded at the maintenance personnel manning the storage area as she passed, noting their salutes of terror. "Your defintion of fun is different from mine."

_"That's just a coverup and you know it! The only thing you do is _work_, Light, you've got nothin' else on your calendar this weekend so get yer arse down here and have some fun!" _

"I enjoy my work, Fang. There's not much else that I need to do."

_"Now tha's where you're all wrong, Sunshine. You keep thinkin' in terms of necessity instead of leisure. Do you __evar__ take some time to yourself?"_

Lightning sighed as she approached her bike. "Of course I do. Listen, Fang, I'll attend your little party for awhile and then I'm going home and relaxing my own way. I have to go now, I'll see you in a bit."

Fang sighed on the other end. _"Always dodgin' the questions. Whatevar, Sunshine - if you're not here soon, I'll personally hunt you down and throttle you."_

"Good_bye_, Fang," Lightning retorted, throwing her phone into a compartment on her bike. She hated it when Fang tried to analyze her and make her take a different approach to life. What was so wrong with her approach to things? She angrily fired up her bike and took off for Fang and Vanille's shared home. At the age of twenty-six, Lightning was doing excellent for herself. In the following aftermath of Cocoon's crystallization, she had helped the Guardian Corps regroup and the stragglers of the Sanctum to integrate into the Corps. They had accepted her assistance with grudging gratitude, letting her rise through the ranks as her abilities helped to swiftly secure the safety of thousands of citizens. A chain of command had been established, laws set into place, cities and roads built. Gran Pulse was now completely inhabitable for human life with little fear.

As a result of her dedication, she rarely took time to herself. Fang was right in a way that she never took time to herself - there was never any need to. All she needed was her work. Amodar understood this and rarely made her take days off, and because of this, she never fought him when he did. She was content with her life.

Fang and Vanille's home was near the ocean, on a high-rising cliff just outside the city. It suited the two perfectly: it was out of the way while conveniently close to civilization, and they could be near the ocean. The house was rather large with two stories, a basement and attic, and five to six bedrooms. Lightning supposed the homely place reminded the two of their childhood home, and it was like a second home to the former l'cie. She lowered her bike in the fields and set it down in the thick trees, not wanting to be seen quite yet. Loud music and rowdy laughter could be heard through the trees as people intermingled and drank themselves into stupors. She sighed in resignation and dismounted, squaring her shoulders for the onslaught to come. Quick, measured steps carried her towards the house, and, as she approached, her irriation grew.

People were everywhere. The music was deafeningly loud. The heavy smell of alcohol, sweaty bodies, and uncleanliness hung in the air. Lightning never understood why the two native Pulsians felt the need to party like this, and, as she dodged between a group of drunkards, she had to wonder again. This was not fun - this was chaos, a headache, and just downright idiotic. Knowing just where to find Fang, she strode out the back door and towards the shed where the huntress was notorious for pummeling anyone who came her way in a game of cards. Lightning was proven correct when she opened the door and saw, to her distaste, more alcohol, more sweaty bodies, and her entire group of old l'cie.

A huge round table was in the center of the shed, the place of all Fang-dominant card games. To the left was a bar area for mixing drinks, courtesy of Vanille's skilled hands, and on the right was the lounge area. She was immediately noticed and swept into a seat at the table by the queen of cards herself. "Well look who it is! Finally decided ta show up, didja?" Fang asked, draping her arm around Lightning's shoulders. Lightning only gave her a cold look and shrugged her arm off, taking a seat next to Serah and Vanille by the far wall. They each gave her their own greetings, and Fang began dealing out the cards with skilled and practiced hands as Vanille deposited a fruity, alcohol heavy drink in front of her.

"What's with the getup, Light?" Sazh asked as he twirled a cigar between his fingers. Lightning narrowed her eyes at the smoke. She hated smokers. "I had something to take care of at work," she responded, pushing away the cards Fang threw her way. Sazh raised an eyebrow and Serah piped in.

"Like what?"

Lightning sighed and swirled her drink, absently wondering just how much alcohol Vanille had put in it. "The calida that's been ravaging farms, outlying homes, and livestock was finally tracked down and killed."

"By you?" Vanille giggled, taking a sip of her own drink.

"Yes."

"Nice, Sunshine - those things aren't that easy to take down," Fang said, lighting her own cigar and beginning the poker game of doom. "Is that why you're in that thing?"

"It's a special form of suit used by elite members of Special Forces."

"It looks..weird," Snow rumbled, eyeing the suit with intensity.

"That's because it's meant for stealth missions and the design, colour, and taper is especially for that purpose. Right, Light?" Hope eagerly cut in.

Lightning took a sip of her drink and wrinkled her nose in distaste. She set it down next to Vanille and leaned into her chair, back perfectly straight. "That's right, Hope."

Serah made a noise of frustration as Fang cleaned her out of chips, again, and effectively removed her from the game in just a few short turns. "_Fang_! That's not fair!"

"All's fair in love, war, and a game of cards with Oerba Yun Fang," Fang gloated, taking her spoils with a single sweep of her arm. Vanille giggled again, obviously a little tipsy from the alcohol. Sazh sagely shook his head and Snow chuckled good humoredly. Hope was concentrating too much on his own hand to pay much attention to anything else. "You sure you don't wanna play, Light? I promise I'll go easy," Fang questioned, her signature grin giving lie to her words. Lightning only shook her head and motioned for the game to continue. "I'll pass," she intoned, brushing away the drifting smoke with a gloved hand.

"Aww, come on, Liiiight!" Vanille squealed, reaching over and grabbing her hand. "It'll be fun!"

"Soldier girl never has fun - didn't you know that, girlie?" Sazh said, puffing on his cigar as he moved his cards in his hands and sacrificed a few of his chips to Fang. Lightning shook her head again and extricated her hand from Vanille's. "First of all, I know how to have fun. This just isn't my idea of it. Secondly, we all know who's going to win this card game and every successive one after that. Thirdly, I need a drink," she explained, standing swiftly and heading towards the bar. Vanille made some fuss over the one she had made for her, but that was swiftly cut off by a squeak - _Fang!_ - and triumphant chuckling.

Lightning wiped a hand over her face as she dug around for the heavy stuff minus all the fruity intrusion. With some maneuvering she found a bottle of whiskey, and after a little more moving around, a suitable glass. Her mind turned over the night's conversations as she poured herself a good amount and gingerly sipped the amber liquid. Why did everyone seem to think she needed this wild idea of fun? She enjoyed her work, took a little time to herself now and then, and she didn't need anything else. _Sound familiar? _It seemed like she'd been repeating that line to herself that night. She frowned in thought as she leaned against the counter and watched the card game continue on. In the past five years, she had accomplished many things and was satisfied with her life - content. Gran Pulse was livable and enjoyable because of her. The thought of something more, of anything, was foreign. Did she need it?

Lightning began to feel the first stirrings of restlessness.


	2. Whiskey

Whiskey

Lightning slowly tapped her finger against her glass, eyes narrowed. In front of her, Serah was futilely trying to slap Fang silly from across the table as the huntress effectively ended the game with a royal flush. It was futile because, one, Serah was too short to reach all the way across, and two, Snow was holding her back with one of his ginormous arms. Vanille was giggling uncontrollably next to her, happy despite the fact that she'd just lost. Sazh had his arms crossed and sharing an amused look with Hope, who was rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin on his face as if to say, _We really should have seen this coming._ All six were engaged in the finale of the card game - no one paid her any attention.

She pursed her lips and immediately ceased her tapping once she noticed what she was doing. It was a nervous habit, something she never did. The fact that she had even started one without her knowledge caused a measure of alarm to arise, but it was quickly brushed aside by her next thought: _It must be the alcohol._ With a small sigh of relief, she raised her glass to take another sip but came up empty. Only a drop remained within her tall, fat glass. A twitch of an eyebrow signaled her annoyance as she set the glass down and simply retrieved the bottle. _Definitely the alcohol._ Why she felt the need to drink so much, she couldn't say. Perhaps she had been around the two native Pulsians too much, or perhaps it was the fact that she had not had a single drink in many months. Either way, she felt in no way hindered in her quest to simply drink, so she tilted the bottle back and took a long draw of the savory liquid. She eyed the bottle for moment; the buzzing had not yet begun and she still had plenty to go. Satisfied, she returned to the table of chaos.

"Well, well, Sunshine, it seems you've finally decided to have some fun!" Fang exclaimed as she noticed the soldier pass her by. Lightning merely shrugged as she returned to her seat, noting that Serah was now quietly fuming from under Snow's chuckling form and Vanille was still giggling. Secretly, Fang was slightly worried that Lightning had chosen to drink whiskey, and straight from the source no less. It did not pass her sharp eyes that Lightning carried no glass, and was proven correct when the soldier brought the bottle to her lips and took a long sip. Lightning only drank on the occaison and most times, if not all, was because Serah coaxed her into it for celebration's sake. Whenever Lightning drank of her own free will, and heavily at that, it was for one of two reasons: she was beyond pissed off or something was eating at her. Seeing as how she had not been anywhere near the levels of anger required for this level of consumption, Fang could only assume it was the latter. She pursed her lips and looked down at her hands to hide her expression as she shuffled the cards for another game.

"Hey, now, why are you in such a hurry to get drunk, Light?" Sazh asked, watching the soldier warily as she took another swig. Fang glanced up and was pleased to see Lightning was not yet flushed and her eyes were still clear. "I'm not," Lightning responded simply, accepting the cards Fang sent her way without complaint. "And before you think I'm just saying that, I simply felt like I needed a drink. Is that a problem?" Sazh shook his head and raised his arms in compliance before accepting his own hand of cards and sinking into his poker mindset. Fang, watching, puffed on her cigar and filed away that piece of information for later. For now, there was a game to dominate.

* * *

"Faaannng, that's the..fiiiii-sixth!..time you've won tonight! Can we do something ellllllse?" Vanille drunkenly whined, too far gone under the influence to realize they had by now played way beyond six times. However, Fang had still won each and every one, so within Vanille's intoxicated mind it didn't really matter how many times they had played. What did matter was that she was bored and wanted something exciting to do. Hope was already passed out in the lounge area, having been removed there by Snow. He and Sazh were making stupid jokes and jibes at each other, well into their own drunkenness. Serah was watching on with amusement, giggling at two being silly. She was still sober, having opted to be the designated driver home.

"I don't even know why we still play _any_ card games with you," Lightning grumbled from Vanille's left. "You'd think we'd have learned by now that it's just a waste of time and money."

Fang chuckled as she counted her profits with glee. "It's called wit, Light - ya always come back because I make you come back." She looked up and winked at the soldier, grinning like the player she was. Lightning raised an eyebrow and reached for her dwindling supply of whiskey - there was only a quarter of the bottle left. She eyed it mournfully for a moment then downed the rest in a single drink. Fang stopped grinning momentarily to slightly gape at the chugging soldier, a sight few had ever seen before. Lightning drank and drank, finally setting the empty bottle down with a hard thud, lips pressed together in a thin line. She was slightly flushed and her eyes unclear - not fully drunk but definitely not sober, either. Another thud sounded as Vanille slumped over on the table, passed out. Fang sighed and pocketed her winnings as she stood, pushing her chair back with nary a squeal.

"Bedtime," she said goodnaturedly as she gently scooped up her adoptive sister. Vanille curled her arms around Fang's neck and sighed. Lightning had her head resting on one hand, watching Fang with an almost sad expression. It puzzled Fang, but the sound of more chairs being scraped back caused her to look up. Lightning's eyebrow twitched at the sudden noise; Fang held in a chuckle. Sazh was mumbling something about it being way past his own bedtime as he made his way over to the other couch and stumbled onto it. Snow muttered something back as Serah tugged on his large arm. She looked back at Fang, an apologetic expression on her face. "I'd better get him home," she said, continuing to tug. "Thanks for the good time, Fang! I'll see you later."

"Bye, Serah," Fang responded, smirking as the youngest Farron continually failed to lift her large husband from his seat. "Having trouble?"

Serah, hating to ask for anything, ceased struggling and slightly nodded her head. Fang adjusted Vanille's weight onto one arm before walking over to stand beside Snow's chair. She ruffled Serah's hair affectionately and then reached down towards Snow's arm and got him to his feet with a powerful tug. He yelped in alarm and staggered about until Fang's iron grip got him steady again. "Easy there, hero," she said, placing his arm in Serah's tiny hands. He moaned something incoherent as Serah smiled appreciatively and dragged him out the door. Fang waved back and snickered when Snow almost fell over onto poor Serah. Fang made to follow suit and make sure they would make it back to their car okay, but the sudden appearance of Lightning by her shoulder stopped her.

The soldier was half an arm's length away, watching the two go with that same strange expression. Fang, knowing exactly what she was about to do, placed a halting hand on her arm. "Don't even think about, Sunshine. You're crashin' here tonight," she commanded, absolutely serious. Lightning regarded her solemnly, blue eyes searching hers. They were more vulnerable than Fang could ever remember them being; she could see a desire Lightning herself couldn't understand, and a near sadness the soldier couldn't place. Her observations were halted when Lightning dipped her head in acquiescence and motioned for Fang to precede her. Fang sighed and kept her hand on Lightning's arm as she walked, removing it only to shut the door behind them. Just like she suspected, Lightning was in no shape to drive home - her footsteps were slightly stumbly and her movements more controlled. No one remained in the house, knowing Fang's unbendable rule of leaving by two hours before sunrise. It was also clean as could be, with Fang's other rules being to clean up whatever mess you made and not venture into private bedrooms for whatever reason. Not a single person ever broke her party rules; to provoke the ire of Oerba Yun Fang was a death sentence.

Lightning paused in the kitchen and waited for Fang to return from depositing Vanille in her room. The soldier felt disconnected and incredibly tired, the effects of the alcohol complete in her system. The strange feeling she had felt had disappeared, smothered under her beloved whiskey. But she felt strangely..desolate. It puzzled her as she found a suitable wall and rested her head against it. Her mind searched for every possible reason, but in its current state, there wasn't much she could think through. She stayed there for an impossible time, simply waiting and hoping she wouldn't fall asleep on the floor. A warm hand broke her from her state, causing her to slowly open her eyes halfway and blink. Fang was standing next to her and speaking, but she couldn't quite catch it.

"Say again?" Lightning asked, rapidly becoming more sleepy by the second.

Fang paused and looked at Lightning worriedly. "I said, do you think you can make it up the stairs to your room?"

"Mm.." was Lightning's reply as she tried to take a step forward and ended up toppling over into Fang's arms, having lost the battle with sleep. "Guess that's my answer," Fang chuckled, adjusting Lightning's weight in her arms before striding her way towards the soldier's room. Lightning shifted and nuzzled her head into Fang's neck, murmuring something about warmth. Fang smiled warmly and held her closer. Leave it to Lightning to be unconsciously adorable when almost drunk. She ascended the stairs with ease and gently opened Lightning's door, approaching the bed slowly. A thought occurred to her then, a thought which caused her to laugh out loud. She set Lightning down carefully.

"Sorry, Light, but that outfit's gotta come off if you plan to wake up unsuffocated in the morning," Fang said, slowly and gingerly removing the suit. She breathed no small sigh of relief when she saw Lightning had clothes on underneath the suit, if only a little. A small tank top and her customary shorts were all, but it was more than Fang could have hoped for. She tucked Lightning in with a motherly smile, bending down to kiss the top of her head when finished. "G'night, Lightning," she murmured, pleased to hear a small one in return. She left the room quietly, leaving Lightning to snuggle down into the blankets and sigh happily.

* * *

It was only a few hours later that Lightning's eyes fluttered open, gazing blankly at the bright window nearby. She sat up slowly and took in her surroundings; realization dawned a precious few minutes later, but she did not move to leave. Instead, she watched the window and thought of the night's events. Her desire to drink so much still puzzled her, as did the strange feelings that had assaulted her. However, she was pleased to note that she no longer felt conflicted with..whatever that was. Brushing aside the trivial thoughts, Lightning stood and proceeded to her adjoining bathroom. Her room was the only other room in the house that had a separate bathroom attached, Fang's being the other one. Every other resident had to make do with the respective upstairs and downstairs bathrooms, a fact that was not as clear cut as one would think. Vanille spent ungodly amounts of time in the downstairs one, and Hope hogged the upstairs one. Serah stole it from Hope whenever she spent the night, resulting in an all-out war among the rest of the guests. Sazh and Snow would struggle to keep Hope from busting down the door, while Fang kept Vanille's unaccosted. The arguments and screaming would continue far into the morning routine, ceasing only when they dispersed for the day. However, it was well known that no one, absolutely no one, was to try and use those Fang and Lightning had. An amused smirk touched Lightning's face as she remembered the one time Snow had been idiotic enough to try. She had broken his nose twice, his arm in three places, his ability to have children for the next few months, and shattered the bones in his hand.

No one bothered her after that.

As the steaming hot water of the shower washed over her, Lightning considered briefly on how she had ended up in her room without her suit. Fang's face flashed through her mind briefly, providing her with the answer. _Of course it would be Fang, no one else was sober enough to do it. _Lightning shook herself and quickly finished washing, eager to get home and finish writing her reports for last night's kill. Being a colonel made for interesting field opportunities..and many long nights writing lengthy reports. It was a job that required tremendous amounts of dedication and skill, and Lightning wouldn't have it any other way. She rubbed her hair vigorously with her towel, exiting the bathroom as she did so and headed towards the closet. Serah always told her that she needed to keep outfits around that weren't her uniform, so she chose a simple outfit for the day. It consisted of loose, comfortable jeans with her favourite white tank top, and one of her uniform vests. The only reason Serah had let Lightning keep it was because the vest was a sleek black and more..fashion acceptable than the others. Donning her necessities and outer clothing, Lightning left the room and descended the stairs to face the day.

When she entered the kitchen, Lightning was surprised to see Fang already awake and bouncing around in her usual cheerful disposition. The huntress was humming some unknown tune as she prepared breakfast, a sight Lightning was rarely treated to lately. Fang turned and winked in her direction, flipping the pancake on her skillet with excellent precision and grace. Lightning was almost jealous. "G'morning, Sunshine!" Fang greeted, reaching out a hand to beckon the soldier towards the steaming plates of food on the counter. "Have a pleasant sleep?"

Lightning chose not to respond, instead taking Fang up on her offer of breakfast. Despite what anyone may say of the huntress, she was a damned good cook.. if you were lucky enough to coax her into the kitchen, first. She had prepared a well-balanced meal of eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, omelets, pancakes, toast, biscuits; when Fang cooked, she cooked to feed an army. Pleased with the morning already, Lightning dug in with relish, missing the satisfied smile Fang was hiding. The first few minutes were passed in peace; Fang continued humming her tune as she flipped pancakes, causing Lightning to unconsciously relax as she enjoyed her food. It all ended when Fang finished the very last pancake and turned to address the silent woman behind her.

"So," Fang began, leaning lazily on the countertop near Lightning, "what was eating you last night?"

Lightning's hand froze on the plate for just a split second before resuming it's scooping. The action did not go unnoticed. "What do you mean, Fang?"

"I mean you drank an entire bottle of whiskey. Whiskey, Sunshine. That shit ain't light, and I know you never drink heavily unless you're pissed or somethin's eatin' ya. What was it?"

Lightning looked Fang straight in the eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about." She stood from the stool, carrying her plate to the dishwasher. Fang's eyes narrowed imperceptibly as she watched Lightning deposit the dish and turn back around. "Thank you for breakfast, Fang. It was delicious. I will see you later." Before Fang could even say a word, Lightning was out the door and gone. Fang grit her teeth momentarily. "Bloody soldier," she muttered under her breath, standing to put lids on all of the cooked dishes. Leaving her homemade hungover remedy with a small slice of toast on Vanille's nightstand, Fang headed out back to begin the day.

She did not notice the pale figure watching her with frustrated, icy eyes, nor did she hear the roar of the velocycle as it sped into the sky.

_A/N: Mmm, leisure update. Chapter sixteen of _A Question of Death_ is giving me trouble, so the restless itch settled in nicely. I do hope you enjoyed it. I'll be trying my best to get that chapter done soon. In other news, anyone else heard the new XIII-2 stuff? It has potential, if done correctly. That's my thought on it. Muurrrrr. _


End file.
